Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo this morning lamented against the indifference being shown by the European Union on Malta’s requests for help with regard to migrants.

Giving some statistics on Facebook, Bartolo said that since 2005, human traffickers sent 21,858 migrants to Malta, with other countries taking 5,127 of them.

Of these, 1,738 were taken by EU member states, while the United States accepted 3,389, almost double, he wrote.

We have seen more solidarity from the US than from the EU, Bartolo wrote.

For the past days Bartolo has been insisting for more assistance from the EU after the Maltese government has been criticised for closing its ports to migrants, part of measures introduced to contain the spread of Coronavirus.

Breaking down the numbers – effectively dividing them in years of Nationalist and Labour administrations – Bartolo said that between 2005 and 2012, the number of migrants arriving in Malta was 13,070, with Europe taking 680 of them and the US 1,130.

Between 2013 and today, migrants reaching our shores totalled 8,788, with the EU taking 1,058 and the US 2,259.

The European countries that have helped the most are France and Germany, Bartolo wrote, while some assistance was also given by Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Luxembourg.

Can the smallest EU state continue to take all this responsibility of taking in all the migrants sent over by human traffickers, Bartolo said.